A little more than two weeks ago, I tried to buy a .si domain name via Spaceship. I submitted my payment and awaited the domain name transfer. A few days later, unfortunately, Spaceship sent this message to me:
“Hello, We are writing to let you know that the seller has informed us that the domain is no longer available. As a result, we have cancelled the sale and refunded your order. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.”
Things happen, and I’ve moved on. I would be more upset if I was buying the domain name for a business I was looking to start and received this message. It would be frustrating losing out on the opportunity, and it wouldn’t be a good user experience at Spaceship either.
Spaceship Founder Richard Kirkendall posted a warning for Spaceship sellers on on X this morning in an effort to avoid defaulted sales on the platform:
If you list your domains for sale at Sellerhub and you don’t follow through with the sale without a valid reason we will no longer allow you to trade on platform. If you have stale listings make sure you update them asap. We do this to uphold the integrity of our platform and the sales within. Same goes for buyers.
— Richard Kirkendall (@namecheapceo123) October 13, 2026
I also like that Richard noted the policy applies to buyers as well. Marketplace integrity works both ways. Sellers should be expected to honor their sales, and buyers should pay when they have agreed to a deal.
If you’re a seller on Spaceship, now is a good time to verify all of your listings are domain names you own and can sell. While you’re at it, you can double check your pricing as well.
